What's the best way to deal with a child that is afraid of the dark & monsters? should i pretend to fight them away or should i say they don't exist?

How old?: I think it's important to acknowledge your child's fears, not dismiss them. Have your child help problem solve about facing their fear. If they tell you that shooing away monsters will help, then it's fine to do that. If you tell them monsters are not real you should also be telling them santa claus, the tooth fairy, etc are not real.

The fears are real: Although you may not want to have toy guns in your house, you can still get into a 3-4 year old's fantasy by spraying "monster spray" in the closet and under the bed, buying a new teddy bear or doll to guard the foot of his bed, and buy a night light in his favorite theme (space, thomas, etc) if it is a ploy to get out of bed or sleep with you, try the book little people by ed christopherson.